Weeping Willow
by Stardust854
Summary: Willow has been in a depressed state for over a year, Crow is asked by Trudge to help her. After a few weeks together their relationship takes a romantic turn, but what's this horrible thing that she's supposedly done that she won't tell anyone about?
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Yeah yeah, too many stories I need to update with too little internet blah blah blah, I had a dream about this though. **

**Crow: I thought you were obsessed with Wings right now. **

**Me: . . . .Shut up. . **

**Yusei: lay off Crow, she's a writeaholic it's not her fault.**

**Me: Thank you. Now on to the story. Snakefloss, if you have any constructive criticism I would really appreciate it.**

**Willow**

**"We have you surrounded, there's no point in running!" A Sector Security officer yelled. I smirked and pressed the gas down on my runner. **

**"Try and keep up old man!" I yelled as he fell behind. I turned down an alley and frowned as I was met with a solid brick wall. **

**"Ha, not so tough now are you?" I sped towards the wall. I'd rather die than go to the dump known as the Facility. I closed my eyes and went full speed towards the wall. A different runner, obviously part of Security went past me and stopped right in front of the wall. I opened my eyes and stopped too. If I did kill myself, I didn't want to bring another life with me. The head officer walked up to me. **

**"In the city and dueling without a permit, that's worthy of the Facility." I pulled off my blue helmet. My raven colored hair falling down my back in silky waves all the way to my butt. Except for the blue streak on the side, which spilled over my shoulder. **

**"So getting some edible food puts me in jail?" I asked. **

**"Yes, and I don't care what excuses you have, there's no talking out of this one Willow!" Trudge and I had a history, I guess you could say. I would get in trouble with him and come up with an awesome excuse that would go to Goodwin and then I would get out of going to the Facility and was able to keep my slightly younger sister Sage fed and clothed. Trudge grabbed my elbow and started to pull me towards the truck filled with other convicts and troublemakers.**

**"Hey let me go, this can't be legal!" I yelled. "Help he's kidnapping me. You all saw it, kidnapper, kidnapper!" He shoved me inside the truck. "Kidnapper.'' **

**He pointed to an empty seat on the metal bench. "Sit." I glared at him, but followed the order. He bent down and clasped a metal shackle around my boot at the ankle. **

**"Watch her." He said to the guy next to me. "She's a girl so she shouldn't be that much trouble." **

**"Well Sexist and the City, I promise, I won't make it easy." I mock saluted him. "At ease soldier." He rolled his eyes and left, closing the door behind him. **

**"So what's your name?" an old man asked. **

**"Um… Willow, and you?" he smiled like he didn't have a care in the world. **

**"The name's Yanagi, and that fellow that Trudge told to watch you is named Yusei." I turned my head to look at Yusei, how was in the middle of a face palm. **

**"Well if you're going to be my babysitter, I might as well get past the formalities. So for starters since I already know your name, what are you in for?" he turned away from me. **

**"I'm not in the mood for a chat." I smirked.**

**"Well too bad, you're participating in one. I'll tell you if you tell me." He sighed.**

**"Fine, I went into the city when I wasn't supposed to and I was dueling without a license." I smiled.**

**"No way, me to. Who were you dueling?" he shrugged.**

**"Jack Atlas, you?" **

**"The owner of the market, if I won I got some extra food."**

**"Did you?" **

**"I made him cry." Yusei smiled.**

**"You don't regret that at all?" I shook my head.**

**"Nope. The only reason I did it was to help my sister Sage. She's a year younger than me. I had to grow up faster than I should have to let her still be all bubbly and happy. God I hope they let us have a phone call or something, poor thing will be worried sick."**

**"Any other relatives you're worried about?"**

**"Well there is my friend Alex. When we broke up it was for different reasons, I wanted to raise the kids Christian, he wanted to sleep with men. But we've always been close." **

**"Wow, when did you find out he was gay?" Yusei asked.**

**"My first inkling was when he put his hand on my boob and said 'Ooo is this cashmere?'**

**Yusei laughed. "I like you, you're funny." Yanagi announced. I blushed and bumped into Yusei as the truck stopped. Trudge opened the door and started ushering prisoners out of the truck. **

**"Willow you stay behind." Trudge ordered. **

**"Well duh, I can't exactly move with this on my ankle." I said shaking my leg so the chain would rattle. **

**Yusei stood up. "I guess I'll see you later, good luck. And please try not to get into trouble." **

**I smirked. "I haven't gone three days without getting into trouble since I was 3, what makes you think I'll start now?" He shook his head and chuckled. I watched him leave. Trudge unlocked the shackle and pulled me to my feet. **

**"Kidnapper." I muttered. He didn't reply, only pulled my out of the truck by my elbow and into the building.**

* * *

**Crow**

**"Crow, Trudge is here to see you." Yusei yelled. I left the kitchen and walked down the stairs to the garage with a sandwich in my hand.**

**"What do you need me for?" I asked inbetween bites. **

**"There's this girl at the Facility that I need your help with. Both of yours. She's been there for over a year. We were supposed to let her out a long time ago, but she got sick and we had to let her stay since she didn't have any way to contact her family. Recently she stopped eating and we had to put an IV line in her arm just to keep her alive." I looked down at my sandwich and couldn't help but feel guilty. Here I was stuffing my face when there was someone Trudge knew that didn't have the will to eat.**

**"What was she sick with?" I asked.**

**"Appendixitis, we didn't catch it in time and all the toxins invaded her bloodstream. Mina and I have tried to get her to talk to us, but she doesn't seem to know we're there. I was hoping that talking to someone that she didn't really know, but wanted to get to know her would help. Yusei got through to Akiza and Crow you're just downright friendly, and she could really use a friend right now."**

**"I'll do it. I don't have anymore work today." I said. Yusei nodded. We followed Trudge on our runners to the Facility. I knew this place would bring back bad memories, but I tried not to focus on that. I was going for some girl that needed some help, not myself. And besides, they only kept the hardcore criminals there now. Trudge told us where to put our runners and led us to a room. It was nicer than the regular cells, with a bed, a kitchen and a bay window. A girl about my age was sitting at the window. Trudge was right, she was sick. Her skin was tan from her origins, but it still had a pale glow to it. Her hair was unwashed and tangled, and her ice blue eyes were glazed over and dilated. **

**"She's been on morphine for awhile now, it helps with the pain." Appendixitis meant surgery. A****s far as I knew, that surgery had gone alright, but it could have gotten infected or something along those lines to keep the recovery even farther from her reach. I sat down next to her. Trudge had been right, she didn't even give me a sideways glance. **

**"Wait, Willow?" Yusei asked. **

**"Oh right, I forgot you two met when I first brought her here." Trudge said. **

**I held her hand. It was cold to the touch, so was the other one. I raised both to my lips and blew in an effort to warm her up. Yusei wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Her eyes darted from the window to me and back again. **

**"I don't know what made you so depressed Willow, but I'm not gonna let you do this to yourself." I whispered. Trudge went into the kitchen area and took something out of the fridge. **

**"See if you can get her to drink this." Trudge suggested. He was holding a glass full of what looked like Sprite. I took it from him and put the edge of the glass against her lip. She turned her head away. **

**"C'mon Willow, if you eat or drink enough that IV can come out." I said. I tried again only to get the same reaction. Trudge moved to take the glass, but I shook my head. **

**"Willow listen," she turned her head. "I know what it feels like to be alone, but you don't have to be alone anymore. You have me and Yusei. We're not gonna give up on you, we'll still be here to help, but you have to be alive in order for that to happen." I tried one more time, and smiled as she took a small gulp of soda. **

**"See, that wasn't so hard." She took the glass from me and started to drink by herself. Trudge stared, dumbfounded. **

**"Wha-, how did you do that?" he asked.**

**"Easy, she didn't want to live because she didn't see a reason to. Now she has a reason." I answered. I noticed she was starting to shiver a little bit. **

**"Do you want something warmer?" I asked. She nodded and handed the glass to me. I looked at Trudge expectantly. **

**"Fine, I guess I've got to do everything." he muttered, snatching the glass from my hand and storming to the kitchen. Willow leaned against me, trying to get warm. **

**"Don't worry, I'm here." While she drank some tea, I brushed out her hair. **

**"Thank you." Her voice was so small I had to strain my ears to hear her.**

**"You're welcome." **


	2. Music

**So I'm gonna get a lot of new chapters up. BT dubs, reviews make me write faster, so if you want more chapters then review more.**

* * *

**Crow**

Willow was starting to eat more and talk every once in awhile, which was a huge improvement. She still needed the IV though. I was visiting her alone at the moment.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked. She shrugged. I followed her gaze out the window, a women crossing the street with an armful of shopping bags, a couple holding hands, and a stray dog sniffing for food. All with seemingly normal lives, the exact opposite of what Willow had.

"Don't you miss being like them?" I asked.

"Of course I do, but why leave when there's still a chance you could get hurt." I remembered being at a state of mind like that. No friends or family to snap me out of it, and then I met Martha.

"Sometimes living means having to get hurt. If everything was perfect, we'd get bored. We might even try to cause pain to feel like we're real."

"Life is pain, anyone saying otherwise is on something." I sighed. Willow refused to tell me anything about her past, who she was, or if she had any family.

"What hobbies did you do?" I asked. I waited a few minutes for her to answer, I refused to talk if she didn't.

"I was a musician. I always wanted to be a professional dancer, and everyone who's seen my drawings says I could be an amazing artist." I went over to my backpack and pulled out my iPod. I had started to bring a bag full of music and sketchpads. Yusei had shown me an article on music therapy. The author described it as physical therapy, but for emotion. We use it everyday of our lives. When you turn on your favorite song after a long hard day and bob your head to the beat, that's music therapy. And I figured if it helped people with Parkinson's Disease move one last time before dying, it could help Willow feel again.

"What kind of music did you like?" When she didn't answer, I put Fallout Boy's 'I don't care'. One of my all-time favorites. When she didn't react, I tried 'It ends tonight' by the All-American Rejects. She closed her eyes and put her cheek against the glass of the window. I could see a tear escape the corner of her eye and make a trail along her cheek. I squeezed her hand and pulled her to her feet. I took the IV out of her arm and let it fall to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked.

"What, don't you wanna dance?" I countered. She smiled and nodded. She wrapped her arms around my neck. We slowly swayed to the music.

"I've missed this so much." she whispered. I blushed and spun her in a circle. We were having such a nice time, and then my phone rang.

"Crow, are you almost finished up with Willow, we need your help here at the garage." Yusei asked.

"Can't you do it by yourself, I can't just leave her."

"You mean make Jack actually do work, like that would ever happen." I was torn, I wanted to help my friends, but Willow needed me.

"We're almost done, but it might be a little bit." I answered.

"Nevermind, I'll make Jack help, I'll see ya tonight." I clicked off.

"I would've understood Crow, you can just go and help Yusei." Willow said.

"Why leave when I'm having so much fun?" I countered. She blushed and picked up my iPod.

"Wow, nice taste in music." She put a Bon Jovi song on and turned it up all the way.

"I didn't think you liked hard rock." I yelled over the noise.

"Hard to believe huh?" I turned the music off as she sat down and held her head.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, just a little dizzy." I remembered the IV. I got a new needle from one of the cupboards on the wall and set it up.

"You know how to do IV's?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, when we were little, me and Yusei, and our friend Jack would have to do each others IV before any surgery we had to have. Like getting our tonsils out for example. Yusei hated needle, still does. So Jack and I would have to hold him down while Martha did it for us. Point is I know how to do one, and the spot it hurts the least." I tied the rubber band around her upper arm and told her to clench her fist. She did as I told her. I stuck the needle in a popped vein in the crook of her arm and pulled it out, leaving the catheter to give her any fluids or medicine Trudge and Mina had filled the bag with. I used medical tape to keep the IV in place.

"Thanks, what's in the fridge, I'm hungry." After some rummaging around, I found some cut up pears for her to munch on.

"Will you turn the music back on?" I nodded and switched it to a Dautry song.

"My sister." I cocked an eyebrow.

"Remember, you asked me what family I had. My sister. She was all I had left and I haven't heard from her in over a year. If I knew what happened to her, that would make me the happiest mental patient in the world." I slipped my hand into hers and squeezed.

"You're not a mental patient. You're depressed and needed help. That's all. Mental patients have Alzheimer's, Anorexia, you're not in that category." She smirked.

"Tell that to Trudge, he talks to me like I'm two not eighteen." We looked out the window and watched the snow fall. Christmas was coming up, who was Willow spending it with?

"You know, I'll have to do some asking around. But maybe you should spend Christmas with me and my family. And I use the term 'family' loosely. It's just me and Yusei plus a few of our friends." She bit her lip.

"I don't know Crow, I don't do well with introductions. And besides, I'm just a depressed ex-convict you're working with. They won't want someone like that at their holiday dinner."

I smirked. "A lot of the people there are ex-convicts. I'm sure they'll be excited to meet you."

"Fine, but only if it's ok with everyone and I mean _everyone_."

"Deal."

* * *

"Absolutely not." Jack said.

"Oh c'mon, she needs to do something!" I argued. "And besides, Yusei already said yes, so did Akiza, Leo, and Luna! Just stop thinking about yourself for five minutes and give her your blessing!"

"No, not unless Carly can come too." I made a face, I didn't particularly like Carly, but if I had to...

"Fine."

"Then your girlfriend can spend the holidays with us." I blushed.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Whatever, I need a coffee." I rolled my eyes and called Trudge.

"I need you to let Willow spend the holidays with us, at our apartment." The five seconds it took him to answer felt like five hours.

"Fine, how long will she be staying?"

"I'm hoping the about a month. Just tell us what we need to do."

"Well, you need to get her to eat regularly so the IV can come out. And she'll need clothes and the general necessities."

"Fine I'll have everything ready, I'll see you tomorrow."

I clicked off. Finally Willow could pretend she was normal for at least a month, this could be the cure she really needs.


	3. Katerina Martinez

**Yay, finally have internet! We learn a little more about Willow in this chapter, enjoy and review.**

** Crow.**

* * *

Almost two weeks had passed since talking to Trudge, Christmas was in three and Willow was healthy enough to stay with us for at least a month. I was on my way there now. Akiza had let me borrow her car to get Willow to my apartment. It was way too cold for a runner now. I parked and ran up to her room.

"Come in!" I did and gasped. Instead of the usual tee shirt and sweatpants, Willow was wearing a blue and gold striped sweater with leggings and knee high boots that resembled black and white converse sneakers. A gold locket hung around her neck. Her hair was brushed out and fell down her back and spilled over her shoulders in silky waves.

"Don't drool Crow we don't have a mop." She teased. I closed my mouth and blushed.

"Um. . .you look great." I said.

"I just can't wait for a month of no IV's and having to choke down ten-thousand pills a day." Trudge walked around the corner holding a black jacket and a case full of shampoo and other necessities.

"I doubt it's ten-thousand Willow. Make sure you zip up your jacket it's cold out there." Trudge said. Willow slipped the jacket on, zipped it up, and stuffed the case into a light blue duffel bag.

"K, I'm ready let's roll-e-o." I smiled and grabbed her bag. She followed me to the car and climbed in.

"Don't tell Akiza I left it unlocked or she'll kill me." I said. She giggled and turned the radio on. Colbie Calliot blared out of the speakers.

"Thanks for letting me spend the holidays with you." Willow said with a grin.

"No problem, we enjoy guests." She shivered and moved a little closer to me.

"Sorry, but I hate the cold. Reminds me of my childhood." I pulled her close.

"You had a bad childhood?"

"My favorite toy was a hammer, you do the math." I sweatdropped and parked next to the garage.

"Well home sweet home." She grabbed her bag and followed me inside.

"Yusei we're home!" I yelled.

"Crow I'm right here." Willow smirked.

"What up Grease Monkey?" Yusei rolled his eyes.

"Just working on my runner."

"Ah surprise surprise. Does anyone else smell hair gel and arrogance?" As soon as she finished her sentence, Jack walked down the stairs. I stifled a laugh.

"Is this Willow, I thought you said she was mentally unstable, not actually kind of pretty."

Willow narrowed her eyes. "You wanna use that line you better not start Jack Assless." I laughed, even Yusei had to stifle a chuckle.

"Haha very funny." Jack muttered.

"Thanks, I've been told my awesome sense of humor is one of my best qualities. I'm gonna go poke around." She turned to Yusei and said "Good luck with your runner Yusei, may you duel well and prosper." We laughed at her Star Trek impression and continued to work on his runner. I followed Willow upstairs and showed her the bathroom and her room.

"I'm next door from you if you need anything. And don't worry, I already told the guys to knock." I had spent the last three days finding any cheap fabric and appliances I could to make her room hers. The bed had light blue and light green stripes on it. The sheets were white and the bedskirt was light green. Green, blue, and white pillows were thrown on top. I had found an oak dresser at a yard sale and made Yusei fix it up. A tall lamp was next to the bed and I had Martha make curtains. They were light blue with a swirl like green design in the fabric. The final thing I did was nail a full length mirror to the wall.

"It's amazing, how did you-?"

"Everyone pitched in, we all wanted you to feel welcome here." I answered. She hugged me. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. She broke the hug after a few seconds.

"I,uh, better unpack." I blushed and left her to do what she wanted.

I now understand why Willow doesn't like to eat. The side effect of one of the antibiotics she was taking was nausea and because of that she usually threw up anything she ate.

"C'mon Willow, you need to eat or you'll have to go back to the Facility." She made a face and ate one more bite of Ramen.

"See that wasn't so bad." She rushed off to the bathroom. I groaned and followed. I held her hair back and rubbed her back in comforting circles while she retched. Yusei passed the bathroom and peered in.

"Tissues and a mint?" I nodded and made a face as she heaved one last time.

"Keep your head down, Yusei's getting tissues." She nodded and struggled to catch her breath. Yusei came back with a tissue box. I took one out and put it in Willow's hand. She wiped her mouth and threw it in the trash. Yusei handed her the mint. She elbowed me in the ribs as she popped it in her mouth.

"Ow! I'm sorry you got sick, but I'm just trying to make sure your body doesn't go into starvation mode." She stood up and went to her room, closing the door behind her.  
"Great she's mad." I muttered.

"Wrong, Willow doesn't really get mad. Somewhat upset sure, but not mad. She'll probably just belt out a song on her keyboard." Sure enough, the calming melody of a piano rang through the halls.

"Just give her some time to calm down. I suggest calling Trudge to see if there are any antibiotics that won't give her nausea."

"Don't you think I've tried that, he said he'll order some, but it could be another couple days before it gets here." I answered.

"Days, what happened to the pharmacy?"

"They don't have any, it's being shipped over from the town next to New Domino." I sighed. "I just hope she can eat enough to keep her functioning until then." The piano stopped.

"I'm gonna go talk to her, wish me luck." I knocked on her bedroom door.

"Come in." I did and joined Willow on her bed. She was sketching something in a notebook.

"Watcha sketching?" I asked.

"A rose." I peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, the rose was perfectly drawn. Even the shading.

"It's beautiful." I bit my lip, I almost added 'like you' to that sentence. And I meant it. To be honest, I was falling for Willow and I knew it. But the odds of her feeling the same were way too slim to bother with.

"I called Trudge, he's having some different medication shipped here from the next town over. They won't make you sick like the others."

"Thanks. For everything." There was something wrong, I could feel it.

"What's bothering you?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine." I moved closer to her.

"Liar. You can tell me, that's what I'm here for." she sighed.

"Today's my sisters birthday and I can't spend it with her." I should have known it was family related. All she talked about was this sister of hers.

"What's her name again?"

"Katerina, Katerina Martinez."

"I'll be right back." I left her room and went to the garage to call Trudge.

"Crow those meds will be there as soon they can ok?!" he yelled.

"That's not what I called about, what info do you have on Katerina Martinez?" I asked.

"Oh, Willow's sister. You see Crow, she's dead."

"What do you mean dead?" No, Willow would be crushed.

"She was one of the few that didn't come back after the signers were defeated. They're souls couldn't take it, so they died. And Kat was unfortunately part of that group."

"Well why didn't you tell her, Willow has been wondering about her sister for over a year and you didn't tell her you son of a-!" My rant was cut off as Trudge started apologizing, but I hung up on him. I couldn't believe he didn't tell her. I kicked Yusei off the computer and tried to find out what cemetery Kat was buried at, if she was at all.

She had been buried at the church cemetery. I went up to Willow's room and led her to the car.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see." I stopped at the flower shop and bought a bouquet of calla lily's, Kat's favorite according to Willow. Then I drove to the church and told Willow to close her eyes. After some hunting around, I found Kat's gravestone next to her mothers and told Willow to open her eyes. We both got on our knees and put the flowers on her grave.

"I guess I always knew, but I didn't want to believe it." Tears leaked out of her eyes. "Kat I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." She put her first three fingers to her lips and touched them to the headstone. We divided the flowers so their mother wouldn't be left out, and drove back to the apartment.

Except for the few tears she had cried at the cemetery, Willow didn't cry for the rest of the day. In the middle of the night I checked up on her. She was petting a stray cat that had snuck in the window. The cat settled down on her lap, and that's when Willow cried. The sobs racked her small frame. I sat next to her and pulled her close. We named the cat Athena.

* * *

**OMG, I'm actually crying! I'm sorry for the extremely sad chapter, but it was part of the story. The next chapter will actually be happy I promise! R&R!**


	4. Cascada

**So after this chapter is when things start to finally look up, so only one more chapter full of tears. :-( Saw-ry.**

* * *

**Crow**

After about three more days of mourning and staying shut up in her room, Willow was finally starting to return to normal. Or at least her original state. Athena had basically been adopted by us. We just set up a food and water bowl and let her come and go as she pleased. I think having a pet around really helped Willow. We were listening to music and laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Crow?" I hummed in response.

"Will you always be there for me, no matter what?" I turned to face her.

"Of course I will."

"Even if I did something, really bad? That other people I have told have hated me for?" I slipped my hand into hers.

"Willow, I'll always be there, no matter what you've done or plan to do. If it's wrong, I'll tell you my opinion and if you listen, well that's your choice." I settled into my original position, my body parallel to the ceiling.

She sighed. "I sure hope so." I cocked an eyebrow.

"What did you do?" she shook her head. In Willownese, that meant lay off I don't wanna talk about it. Jack didn't know that and Willow put bleu cheese dressing in his shampoo bottle as a response.

"Oh, when do you wanna go Christmas shopping?" I asked. The annual Christmas party was in just two weeks.

"I'm not buying anything, I'm making my gifts." I scoffed.

"That's a lot of paintings you'll have to finish."

"Speaking of which, get out so I can work on them." I sat up.

"Meaner." She rolled her eyes, the corners of her lips tilted up in the usual smirk.

"I think I'm ready to try some real food." All Willow had been eating were 'Jack's' Ramen to Go-Go cups. We had real food, but after throwing up everything she ate for over six months, she was too afraid to eat anything other than extremely light soup.

"Cool, we're having ham-fried rice for dinner. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yeah, the antibiotics Trudge shipped in don't give me as much nausea if any." I poked her stomach.

"Good, you owe me 25 bucks for the meds." I joked. She giggled.

"Crow don't, I'm ticklish." My smile grew into a mischievous grin.

"Oh really." I slowly said.

"Don't you dare." I pounced on her and went for her neck.

"Crow, God stop it!" Willow yelled inbetween laughter. She counter-attacked by going for _my _neck.

"Ah, Willow, not the neck that's the worst spot for me!" Of course that only made her tickle me harder. I laughed until tears formed in the corner of my eyes. Willow got off me and jumped off her bed.  
Bouncing while yelling "Yeah, Willow Martinez wins again!" I tackled her. We started roughhousing a little bit until I pinned her.

"You didn't think I'd give up that easy did you?" I teased. She kicked her legs up so I went flying over her head and pinned me to the ground.

"Not really, but I still whooped your ass." I laughed and pecked her on the cheek. She let me up and blushed as we noticed Yusei and Jack standing in the doorway.

"Now that you and your girlfriend are done with your game of slap and tickle," Jack said. I felt my ears grow hot. Willow and I looked at each other, and quickly looked away. I suddenly found a spot on the carpet very interesting.

"We need your help with dinner." Yusei finished. Willow brushed past them and descended the ladder to the kitchen. Jack followed and settled into a table we had finally set up in the little alcove above the kitchen.

"Aren't you gonna help." Willow asked.

"I'll provide verbal support." Willow narrowed her eyes.

"Jack, my mother complained about her cottage cheese ass, get off yours." I stifled a laugh and followed her into the kitchen. Yusei shook his head and started getting out the pans we needed to cook our meal. After Willow boiled the rice, I mixed it in a frying pan with soysauce, cooked scrambled egg, and of course the ham. Willow cut up green onion and added it to the mixture along with some frozen peas. Yusei set the table, of course he had to tell Jack to get his feet of it. Several times. We ate, Yusei rambling on about what our runners needed to run more efficiently. I teased Jack about Carly, and Willow of course, insulted Jack at least fifty different times. Jack had to wash the dishes since he didn't help out with the cooking. I went up to my room and checked the forecast. No snow, but there was going to be below freezing temperatures all week. Including tonight. I went next door to Willow's room and told her the news.

"I have some flannel pjs, but why don't you guys just turn the heat up?" Logical question.

"Our landlady Zora controls the heat and the woman is immune to the cold. Flannel pajamas might not be enough." I racked my brain for a solution.

"Why don't I just sleep in your room, or vice versa. Our body heat plus the blankets will keep us both warm." She suggested. I blushed.

"Well if you don't mind." I slowly said.

"I don't, I'll shower and change. Am I sleeping in your room?" I nodded.

"Cool, give me thirty minutes and I'll meet you there. We can listen to music until we drift off."

"Uh, sure." I left and went back to my room.

"Why do you look like a tomato?" Yusei asked.

"You're not going to believe this, but Willow is going to sleep in my bed tonight, with me." Yusei's eyes widened.

"Why?" he slowly asked.

"It's supposed to be freezing tonight, Zora won't turn up the heat and I don't want her to catch cold, she suggested it. And I agreed." I explained.

"Well have fun with that." he started to climb down the ladder. "But not too much fun. Remember, these walls are thin." I could have killed him.

I went inside my room and changed into a long sleeved tee shirt and some sweatpants. I looked around and picked up some of the clothes that had been tossed on the floor by me when I was in a hurry for work. Work that I hadn't been to in over two weeks. Willow knocked right when I was throwing all my clothes in my hamper.

"It's open!" I yelled. She stepped in, wearing a short sleeved tee shirt and sweats. Like me.

"Hey, I got my iPod and we _are _listening to Cascada." I made a face.

"Gross, why?"

"Don't worry, there's only one particular song I wanted to play of hers." She plugged her iPod into a speaker and turned the volume up all the way.

**I still hear your voice as you sleep next to me  
I still feel your touch in my dream  
Forgive me, my weakness, but I don't know why.  
Without you it's hard, to survive  
Cause everytime we touch I get this feeling  
And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?  
I want this to last, need you by me side  
Cause everytime we touch I feel the static  
And everytime we kiss I reach for the sky  
Can't you feel my heart beat so  
I can't let you go  
want you by my side  
Your arms are my castle  
Your heart is my sky  
they wipe away tears I cry.  
The good and the bad we've been through it all.  
You make me rise when I fall**

She paused the song. "I'm not saying our relationship has to on a romantic level, but you're the first person who's given me a reason to live in a long time. The first person who hasn't left."

I gently grabbed her hands and said "One question, what if I want things to be on a romantic level?"

She blushed. I kissed her. Now believe me, I've kissed a lot of girls in my time, but none made me feel like this. Not one, had felt so right.

* * *

**Willow**

After Crow kissed me, we talked for hours. Not noticing the time until I looked over at his alarm clock and saw it was almost two-thirty in the morning.

"I think it's time for bed." Crow announced. I climbed into bed and moved over so there was enough room for him. The room went dark, and I felt his weight on the bed as he settled in next to me. I drifted off. And that was the first night in over three years, that I didn't have nightmares. That I slept through the night. And I knew why.

* * *

**So short chapter I know, I'll update again today to make up for it. R&R!**


	5. Mama's song

**Sorry, this is the one that you might cry, and then one more after this. And then it turns into more of a sitcom. Oh, and this is basically a filler chapter and is incredibly short. Just to let you know.**

* * *

**Crow**

When I woke up, Willow was gone. I raced downstairs and found Yusei working on his runner.

"Where's Willow?" I asked.

"She went for a walk, and she took her guitar. No idea why, but I doubt she got very far." I pulled my coat on and shot out of the garage on my runner. The first place I checked was the cemetery. Sure enough, she was sitting by her sister's grave, guitar in hand. I watched her as she strummed, and then she started to sing.

**Mama you taught me to do the right thing  
But now you have to let your baby fly  
You've given me everything that I will need  
to make it through this crazy thing called life  
And I know you watched me grow up  
and only want what's best for me  
And I think I've found the answer to your prayers  
And he is good, so good  
He treats your little girl like a real man should  
He is good, so good  
He makes promises he keeps no he's never gonna leave  
mama don't you worry, about me  
Mama don't you worry about me  
Mama there's no way you'll ever lose me  
giving me away is not goodbye  
as you watch me walk down to my future  
I hope tears of joy are in your eyes  
and as I watch my baby grow  
I only want what's best for her  
And I hope she finds the answer to my prayers  
And that she'll say  
he is good, so good  
He treats your little girl like a real man should  
He is good, so good  
He makes promises he keeps no he's never gonna leave  
So mama don't you worry about me  
Mama don't you worry about me**

She strummed the final chords, tears streaming down her face. I wiped away tears of my own and walked over to her. Her voice had been soothing and delicate. Like everything about her. I wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Is there anything you can't do?" I asked.

"Knit."

"You knit?" I asked again.

"Not anymore, I suck." We looked at each other and laughed.

"Come on, we should get back." I led her back to the apartment, not leaving her side for the rest of the day.


	6. Christmas party

**The awesome last chapter before the Christmas! I won't be able to post the Christmas part in this story though, so don't freak out if you look on here after Christmas and it's all about Christmas. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

**Crow**

Today was the day of the Christmas party, and Yusei was beyond stressed. He got like this every year, worried Martha wouldn't find where he lived adequate. Willow was locked in her room working on some surprise that she promised to reveal when we were opening presents.

"Crow, would you do me a favor and put the runners in the corner while I get the potatoes started?" Yusei yelled.

"Sure." I tucked our runners by the stairs and cleaned up some of the tools that had been left on the floor. I heard Yusei curse and dig in the freezer.

"Burned yourself again?" I asked as I entered the kitchen.

"Yes, I need to go take care of this. Put those in the pot when the water starts to boil." he ordered, pointing at the bag of potatoes on the floor near the stove.

"Make sure they're washed, Jack was supposed to do that part." I nodded and peeled my arm warmers off to wash them. Willow came down a few minutes later.

"Ok, surprise done. What do you need help with?" she asked.

"Help me wash these and keep Yusei from ripping his hair out." I answered. She giggled, a noise that always reminded me of wind chimes, and ran a potato under the water. Jack slammed the garage door, announcing his arrival, and walked into the kitchen with grocery sacks.

"I got some cookies for the kids and a bunch of other things that Yusei told me to get. Yusei came down as soon as Jack finished his sentence, a red mark on his hand.

"Thanks Jack." he said, setting the items on the table.

"Hey guys!" Akiza happily said as she walked in. Yusei's eyes brightened.

"Hey Aki, how was the trip over?"

"Not too bad, now where's this Willow you told me about?" Willow hid behind me, her hand on my shoulders.

"It's ok, Akiza's a friend." I said in an effort to soothe her. I grabbed one of her hands and pulled her foreword.

"Aki, this is Willow, my girlfriend." her eyes widened. It was the first time I said it out loud, and the smile from Willow was definitely worth the stares from Yusei and Jack.

"H-hi." Willow stammered. Aki smiled.

"Nice to meet you. Don't worry, Crow wouldn't let you get within a fifty-foot radius of someone who would hurt you." They giggled.

"Oh Jaacckk!" Carly yelled. Ew, I really didn't like her.

"Hi Carly." I said with a sigh.

"Hey Crow, so is this the girl you told me about?" she asked. I nodded.

"Nice to meet you Willow, I was wondering if you wanted to do an interview with me. You see I'm a reporter and I need a story, I thought yours would look good in print. Of course I need your consent."

I jumped in front of Willow. "No way Carly!" I yelled. Willow pushed me out of the way.

"I want to do it." my mouth dropped open.

"What, why?" I asked.

"Because if someone raised awareness about suicide and depression, then no one else would make the same mistake I did. Of course if I hadn't then I wouldn't have met all of you, but I wish I could relive all the days I missed thanks to depression. I want to do it." I had no idea she felt this way. She had never told me.

"Great, lets get started." Willow led Carly up to her room, a place I had been banned from for almost a week because of her big 'surprise'. I have to admit, I was jealous.

"Don't worry Crow, it's just a conversation." Yusei said.

"I know, a conversation about her past. The past she's been hiding from me like her life depends on it. Why shouldn't I be jealous?" I asked.

"Don't be such a dolt, Carly won't put anything in the article you don't want her to. And did you ever think that Willow didn't want to tell you because she was worried about what you would think? She just met Carly, so if she's judged she won't be as hurt." Jack said. Who knew he could be so deep. I sighed again and helped Yusei peel the potatoes.

* * *

**Willow**

"Wait, you really-?" I nodded.

"You have to swear not to tell anyone." I ordered. She nodded.

"Wow, I'm so sorry." I shrugged. She put a comforting hand on top of my own, making me smile.

"Have you told Crow?" I shook my head.

"Well we may not get along, but Crow's not the kind of guy to judge. You should tell him."

"I think I will, tonight after the party." I decided.

"Make sure you tell me how that goes. Ready to head down?" I nodded.

* * *

**Crow**

Three hours had passed since Aki and Carly arrived and Martha and the kids were due any minute. Aki had gone up to help Willow get ready.

"They better get down here in time." I muttered.

"I'd say we're on time." I smiled and turned to see Willow. She was wearing a metallic purple dress that went down to her mid-thigh with lacy black nylons underneath and black fingerless gloves on her arms. Her shoes were low heeled ankle boots, so we were the same height. Her hair was up in a complicated looking updo. Green makeup lined her eyes and a thin silver chain hung around her neck.

"Wow, you look great." I said.

"Thanks, for the record this is the only time I will wear a dress besides my wedding day." I chuckled and led her into the garage. We had moved the table to the center of the room and had strung lights on the walls. I had promised the little nerds I'd wait to put the tree up until they were here to help. The boxes full of decorations were a corner, waiting to be picked through and hung up. We put some finishing touches on the décor and helped Yusei get all the food set up so it was easier to serve. Just as we were finishing up, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and cried out in surprise as all the kids hugged me at once.

"Hey you little nerds!" I yelled, giving one a noogie. They laughed. Martha stepped inside and shrugged off her coat.

"Hello Crow, and I'm guessing this lovely young lady is Willow?" Said girl blushed and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Oh right, Willow this is Martha and all the kids she's taken in." I explained. A little girl ran up to her. Willow laughed and scooped her up.

"And what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Jane, and I think you look pretty." The little girl said, toying with one of the loose curls that had spilled over Willow's shoulders.

"Aw, that's so sweet. I think you're pretty too." She set Jane down and moved to welcome everyone in. Leo and Luna were standing behind Martha.

"Willow these are the twins, Leo and Luna." I introduced.

"Nice to meet you."

"Are you the crazy lady that Crow and Yusei took in?" Leo asked. Luna smacked his head.

"Sorry about him. He says things without thinking. I like your dress." She covered. Willow laughed.

"Don't worry, I used to have a sister like him." Luna cocked her head to the side.

"Why do you say used to?" Oh no.

"She died a few months ago." Luna's cheeks tinted red.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Willow shrugged.

"The best thing you can do is remember the good times that you had with that person. And trust me, we had a ton." That was the calmest I've seen Willow when she was talking about Kat, maybe talking to Carly really did help her.

"Guys time to eat!" Yusei yelled.

Willow and I simultaneously yelled, "Yes food, I'm starved!" and ran to the table.

* * *

"Your turn Willow." I announced. We were exchanging gifts. I laughed as she almost disappeared behind a mountain of presents. She giggled and took one off the top.

"Ok, this one's from Yusei." she ripped the paper open and revealed a guitar.

"Oh my God, how did you know I wanted this?!" she yelled.

"I didn't, I just figured you were sick of the piano." She beamed and strummed an A chord.

I watched as her face lit up gift after gift. She'd received a blanket from Martha that reminded me of a white and gray colored wolf. Jack got her a tan button-down coat with a blue scarf with a blackbird on the bottom. The kids had drawn her picture for her. Akiza had given her enough clothes for a new wardrobe. Carly gave her some new art supplies. I gave her a packet of earrings in her favorite colors and a couple stuffed animals. A wolf and a blackbird. She had kissed me after opening them.

"Ok, follow me for your gifts from me." We stood up and followed her to her room. About six different canvases were covered with tarps. She gave Martha's her first. It was a painting of her and her kids. The kids were running around her legs playing a game of tag, and she was stirring something in a bowl as calm as could be. The corners of her eyes filled up with tears.

"Oh, it's lovely, thank you." Willow blushed. Jack received his next. A picture of him on his runner, helmet on, visor down, looking superior as always. He hugged her and left to hang it up in his room. Yusei's was of him and Aki. They were standing under a lamppost, arms around each other in a loving embrace.

"For the record, this proves nothing." We laughed as his cheeks turned a light shade of red. Aki's was of her walking through the snow, cheeks red from the cold and a smile on her face. Carly's was of her as a top notch reporter.

"Some day." She softly said.

"Ok, now do mine!" I said impatiently. Willow laughed and took the tarp off four different paintings. The first was of me sitting under a tree, arms behind me head, eyes closed, in my trademark relaxed position. The second was of Willow swinging down from a branch, scaring the crap out of me. The third was of me yelling at her while she pulled the corner of her eye down and stuck out her tongue. The last was of us kissing, her still upside down, me cradling her face. Tears formed in my eyes. I wiped them away and kissed her. When we broke apart, she said,

"That's not all." I cocked an eyebrow as she grabbed a large square shaped package wrapped in brown paper from behind her bed. I ripped it open. It was one of those boards you put pictures on. A bunch of us acting like dorks and messing around, right before we fell asleep, and that time we baked cookies and ended up getting flour all over the kitchen and ourselves.

"I hate it when you get sentimental." I said through the wave of tears that were streaming down my face.

She pecked me on the cheek, "Merry Christmas sweetie."

* * *

After everyone left and we had cleaned up, Willow and I relaxed in her room.

"Um, Carly convinced me to tell you that big secret I keep mentioning." I turned towards her.

"I had an abortion a few years ago. My boyfriend got me pregnant and left me two weeks after the procedure." I scratched the back of my head and pulled her in for a hug.

"I don't care about that Willow."

"You don't?" I shook my head.

"Of course not, it wasn't something you could help. And for the record, if you ever got pregnant with my baby, I wouldn't leave you. I'd stay and help you raise our child." I said, cupping her face with my hand.

"I'm really glad you said that."

"Why's that?" she sighed.

"Because I think I'm pregnant."

* * *

**oooh, Christmas baby bomb! How will Crow react? Find out after the holidayz! R&R!**


	7. chapter 7

**The big reaction! Some weird error has occurred so I can't upload until it's fixed. Livid I wasn't able to upload when I wanted to! Anyway, have fun with the whole prediction thing, I know I am!**

* * *

**Crow**

"Very funny Willow." I said, forcing nervous laughter. Laughter that slowly faded out as she glared at me and folded her arms.

"Oh God, you're serious." I sat down on the bed and cradled my head in my hands. I felt the bed dip as she sat down next to me.

"I was so afraid of telling you, I figured you would suggest an abortion and I'd say I couldn't bear to do that. You'd ask why. But you know what, I'm not scared anymore. You know?"

"No I don't know. How could we ever support a kid when we can barely support ourselves. I won't be able to afford what we need to raise a kid. How are you not terrified?" I let out a shuddering breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"We'll get by, I could get a job. I know Martha and all our other friends would be willing to help out. And I don't even know if I'm pregnant yet." I sat back up.

"Do you have the test?" She nodded.

"I got it while you were at work. Do you want me to take it now?" I nodded.

"Might as well get it over with." She stood back up and walked out the door. I fell back on the bed. One time, one time and now I had to worry about a baby. I wanted to be a dad, but not at eighteen, I had so much of my life to live. I must've stayed like that for a while, my thoughts a jumbled up mess. Willow came back in, test in hand.

"We wait fifteen minutes first, and I hid the box so Yusei or Jack won't have a clue." She put the test on her dresser and layed down next to me. I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"Are we ok?" she timidly asked, toying with the collar of my vest.

"We will be." The tips of my lips turned up in a smile. We stayed like that till the little 'ding' from the timer Willow set rang through the room. We both jumped and sat up. I slipped my hand into hers and walked with her to the dresser. The first thing I saw was a little blue negative. She wasn't pregnant, we were safe. I let out a sigh of relief. Willow picked the test up and tossed it in her wastebasket.

* * *

"Crow, do we have ice cream?" Willow called.

"No, you ate it all last night." I heard her soft footfalls come down the stairs and into my room. I was reading a book Willow had recommended for me, Flowers in the Attic. I was ready to deck that grandmother.

"I have been having the weirdest cravings. I mean, we only had Neapolitan flavored ice cream, and I hate Neapolitan." I put my book on my stomach, spine up.

"You're not late are you?" I asked.

"No, I'm not due for another week." She turned for the door, and stumbled.

"Whoa, are you ok?" I rushed to her side.

"Yeah, just got a little dizzy, I'm fine. Can we just, go to bed?" I nodded and waited for her to get to the bed before turning off the light and crawling under the covers with her. Our bare legs brushing up against each other. She giggled and moved closer to me.

* * *

We had long woken up, but not wanting to break apart, we stayed where we were.

"I've gotta go make breakfast." Willow whispered.

"Awwww." I whined like a little kid. She rolled her eyes and sat up, stretched, and made her way to the door. Stopping at the foot of the bed.

"Ok, got a little dizzy, now I'm woozy, ok hello barfy." She bent over. I jumped up and helped her straighten up.

"Doesn't Martha live with a doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Can we go see him?" I pulled my boots and pants on, leaving my vest where it was, and helped Willow to the garage and onto my runner.

"Yusei, we're going to Martha's be back in a bit!" I yelled.

"K, be careful, the road's a little icy!" I sped out the garage and took the fastest route I could to Martha's. I hoped the fresh air would help Willow feel a little better. We arrived, Willow still clinging to my waist until I helped her off. Martha met us at the door.

"What's going on?" She asked, seeing Willow's flushed face and my worried expression.

"She hasn't been feeling well, can the Doc check her over?" I asked. She gestured for us to come in and told me to take Willow to a hospital room. I helped her sit on a soft bed. A few minutes later, Doctor Schmidt came in with his clipboard, and a stethoscope around his neck.

"So what seems to be the problem?"

"She's been dizzy since last night." I explained.

"Is there a possibility of pregnancy?"

"I took a test, but it came out negative." Willow answered.

"How long ago was this?"

"3 days." He tapped his chin.

"It could have been a false negative, let's do another test before we start to worry about the serious diseases." He held out his hand for Willow to take. She looked at me. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, which was enough to convince her to put her trust in this man she hadn't met until today. She grabbed his hand. He smiled and pulled her to her feet and led her out the door. I ran my fingers through my gel covered hair. I thought the time for worrying was over. We were being careful, not doing 'it' until I knew we could without having to think about stuff like this happening. I was actually praying the test came out negative once again. Willow came back and sat next to me. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. We didn't move until the doctor came back.

"Congratulations, you're pregnant." Willow buried her face in her hands.

"I'm guessing this wasn't a planned pregnancy." he shot us a sympathetic look before leaving us alone. I hugged Willow.

"It's ok, we'll be fine. I know we will."

* * *

I had no idea how to tell the guys what happened. We pulled into the garage. Yusei was working on the engine for the WRGP that had recently been announced, Jack was flicking through a magazine.

"Where the deuce have you been?" Jack asked.

"I wasn't feeling well, so Crow took me to Martha's to get checked out." Willow explained.

"Oh, are you sick?" Yusei asked.

"No, I'm pregnant." Willow climbed up the stairs, calling "I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me if you hear a baby cry." I cringed as she slammed her door.

"Wow, are you alright?"

"No, how am I supposed to get enough cash to pay for what we need to raise a kid Yusei?" I massaged my temples.

"I'm gonna go see if anyone needs any deliveries, might as well make some money while I can." I ran up the stairs and went into my own room, slamming the door like Willow had.


End file.
